Slovak businesses lack people

THE INCREASE of investments in the public sector, continuous construction of highways and quick-drawing of EU funds have caused a phenomenon no one would really expect – the Slovak labour market lacks an important part – qualified workers.

The professions most wanted and missing on the market include specialised operators and expert professions, mechanical engineers, toolmakers, technicians, machinists, and welders. Thousands of workers are lacking on the Slovak labour market and local companies are trying to fill the vacancies from foreign sources.

Currently this issue is plaguing almost 60 percent of construction companies, according to an analysis of the Slovak construction sector in the third quarter that is regularly prepared by the CEEC Research company. Construction companies, as well as carmakers and some other specialised producers, confirm this trend, the Hospodárske Noviny daily wrote on September 23. In construction, missing professions are carpenters, engineers and ironworkers, and also specialised operators for underground works, or bridge builders.

“Mechanical engineers, technicians, toolmakers, or welders are much in demand,” CEO of HR agency Manpower Group, Jaroslava Rezlerová, told the daily. “Thousands of them are missing on the labour market.” Other much-desired experts include CNC-machine operators but also highly qualified people like IT specialists, programmers, project managers, sales representatives, accountants or client-centre workers.

Slovak firms try to fill the vacancies from sources abroad, e.g. in Bulgaria or Romania, according to Rezlerová. Also the Trenkwalder HR company contacts potential workers abroad, like Slovaks living in Serbia.

However, job-seekers tend to avoid Slovakia and central Europe, eyeing prevailingly western EU countries like Austria, Germany or the UK. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic experience the same lack of skilled labour as Slovakia.

“We could find workers who have the necessary qualification also in Slovakia, but in many cases, they prefer working abroad,” Poštová Banka analyst Dominika Ondrová says. They leave for a better salary and also better conditions. In branches like research and development, the reason can also be that this sphere is still “in its infancy”, the daily wrote.